1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the detection of underground fluids and, more particularly, to the detection of underground fluids by analysis of reflected electromagnetic (EM) waves from the earth's interior.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fluids, such as water, oil, and natural gas, are frequently exploited natural resources. These fluids may sometimes be found at the earth's surface, but are frequently located underground. Either way, it is typically advantageous to locate a source of the fluid near the point of its exploitation to minimize transportation costs, although production costs may influence this factor.
For instance, water is a relatively inexpensive resource to provide to a community providing that there is an abundance of the water located proximate to the community. The water may be supplied from surface sources, such as lakes or rivers, but may also be supplied from underground sources such as aquifers, which are water bearing, subterranean, geological formations. Typically, the further a community is located from a water supply, the more expensive it is to supply water to that community. Accordingly, it is advantageous to locate a water supply that is proximate to the community.
Although the existence of water on the earth's surface, such as lakes and rivers, can be easily located by mere visual sighting; acquifers cannot due to their presence beneath the earth's surface. The same is true for subterranean hydrocarbon deposits and other underground fluids.
Numerous prior art techniques have been employed to detect and locate subterranean fluids. Of these techniques, electromagnetic waves have been transmitted into the ground in order to conduct subsurface imaging to attempt to identify subterranean features. However, the systems implementing these techniques typically have been bulky and complex, and, thus, difficult to transport. Furthermore, these systems have typically been expensive due to their complexity.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.